Head of the Child Maintenance Client Fund Accounting Team
Department for Work and Pensions
About the job
Job summary
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at DWP accessible to you.
Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.
The Department provides a Child Maintenance Service (CMS) that supports separated parents to work together to set up family-based child maintenance arrangements. Where this is not possible, it provides access to an effective and efficient service to ensure separated parents contribute towards the upkeep of their children.
This is a challenging and high-profile post at the centre of the Department’s Finance Group, to lead the team that provide accounting and other financial services to the CMS.
The purpose of the CFAT Team (15 FTE, based in the North East) is to ensure financial control is maintained over child maintenance collected under the statutory child maintenance schemes managed by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). This is achieved through:
- Regular reconciliation activities, ensuring all receipts and payments flowing through the CMS Bank Accounts are correctly recorded.
- Authorising non-standard payments including compensation and refunds and intervening to resolve complex payment related issues.
- Engaging with system suppliers to ensure systems function and record transactions correctly and assure system changes that impact on accounting and banking records.
The team also prepares internal management information for relevant stakeholders and prepares and publishes the Annual Client Fund Accounts, which are subject to independent audit by NAO (National Audit Office). The latest publications can be found here.
Places for Growth and Social Mobility
As part of the Places for Growth Programme, we are committed to delivering a more geographically diverse Civil and Public Service that will better serve the public and ministers.
As part of this initiative, we are continuously reviewing how we recruit into each location.
Job description
You will lead the Client Fund Accounting Team (CFAT) to ensure and improve the financial control of client funds handled by the Department in its delivery of the Child Maintenance Service. Specifically you will:
Important Information You must hold a full chartered level professional qualification awarded by a UK-recognised accountancy body: CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS and Chartered Accountants Ireland. In addition we accept applications from candidates with a chartered level international qualification where a reciprocal agreement exists with the ICAEW or where the criteria of the ICAEW Pathways programme are met. More information on ICAEW membership agreements can be found here Members of other bodies a z , ICAEW. Your membership of one of these institutes must be up to date and active. Please note that membership of AAT or other technician level qualifications does not satisfy the qualification criteria. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualification criteria you should confirm with our recruitment team before proceeding with your application. If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to provide evidence of both your qualification status and live membership. Hybrid working This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. |
Postings Successful candidates will be posted in merit order based on your location preferences and the geographical requirements of the business. A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location. Successful candidates will be posted to a specific role and will have the opportunity to express a preference as part of the selection process, although final decisions may come down to business need, and the skills and development needs of candidates. Standard promotion rules will apply, and successful candidates will be placed on the pay scale and terms and conditions of DWP. The roles available will be based in
Some travel may be required. |
Person specification
Candidates should be able to demonstrate the Criteria as outlined below Essential Criteria:
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Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.Written Application
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Stage 1 Sift - Personal Statement
A strong applicant will be able to demonstrate clearly in their Personal Statement, within the 1,250 word count, how their skills and experience meet the Essential Criteria that is outlined in the Person Specification in the advert.
We recommend that you make full use of the word count to demonstrate as well as you can, how you meet the criteria for the advertised roles. We are interested to hear about what and how you have achieved your deliverables in your application content.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Essential Criteria - "Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, being able to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure, managing your time efficiently". Candidates who pass this will progress to a full sift on the remaining Essential Criteria.
Candidates who are successful at the sift stage will be invited to attend an interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Stage 2 - Interview:
If you have been successful in sift stage, you will be invited to attend an interview. This will take place via Microsoft Teams and should take approximately between 40 - 50 minutes where you will deliver a 3 minute presentation followed by 3 minutes for questions. Details of the presentation will provided to candidates invited to interview.
You will need to produce evidence of ID at the interview.
It will consist of the following:
Blended Interview
You will be asked a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions.
A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview offering a more inclusive approach.
The Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.
An example of a Behavioural question would be.
Tell me about a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult customer. It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in, and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:
WHO
- What the task/work was,
- How you approached the task/work/situation and
- what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve?
Or
STAR
- What was the Situation?
- What were the Tasks?
- What Action did you take?
- What were the Results of your actions?
Application sift is planned to be carried out from 5th August 2024
Interviews are planned to be carried out WC: 26th August 2024
Please be advised that the above dates are indicative only and are subject to change. |
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.